Plaiting-machine



3 Sheets-Sheet 1. L. B. BERRIEN.

PLAITI-NG MACHINE.

Patented Oct. 18,1881.

(Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

L. B. BERRIEN.

PLAITING MACHINE.

No. 248,392 Patented Oct. 18,1881.

(Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

L. B. BERRIEN.

PLAITING MACHINE. N0. 248,392. Patented Oct. 18,1881.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LEoNAEI) B. BERRIEN, or GALESBURG, ILLINOIS, AssIeNoE, BY MEsNE ASSIGNMENT, TO THE AMEEIoAN MAoHINE ooMPANY, or PHILADEL- PHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

PLAITING SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 248,392, dated October 18, 1881.

Application filed February 23, 1881. (hIodeL) To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LEONARD B. BERRIEN, a citizen of the United States, residing in Galesburg, Knox county, Illinois, have invented certain Improvements in Plaiting-Machines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in that class of'plaiting-machines in which two plaiting-blades, one for operating on the upper side and the other for operating on the under side of the fabric, so as to box-plait the same, are combined with feed-rollers; and the object of my invention is to make an economical machine of this class by which, at the will of the operator, boX-plait-s of any desired width or at any required distance apart, or side plaits, or alternating side and box plaits, can be made in fabrics without any alteration or adjustment of any parts of the machine.

Further objects of my invention and the mode of carrying them into effect are too fully set forth hereinafter to need preliminary explanation.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1, Sheet 1, is a perspective view of my improved plaiting machine; Figs. 2 and 3, detached views of parts of Fig. 1; Fig. 4, Sheet 2, an elevation of one side of the machine; Fig. 5, an elevation of the opposite side of the machine; Fig. 6, a transverse vertical section of the same; Figs. 7 and 8, Sheet 3, perspective views of the two plaiting-blades and mechanism for operating the same; and Figs. 9,10, 11, and 12, diagrams illustrating the character of the plaits which can be made by the machine.

A is the base of the machine, having the standards 13 B, H H, and P P.

D D are the two pressure-rollers, the upper roller, D, being hollow, and having at one end a large journal, through which heated irons can be introducedinto the interior of the roller. The bearing of this large journal is against a plate, a, secured to the top of the standard B, Fig. 2, theopposite end of the roller D having a small solid journal, the bearing of which is against a plate, a, secured to the top of the standard B, Fig. 3. Thejournals of the lower roller, D, pass freely through vertical slots in the said standards B B, each journal having its bearing in the end of an arm, E, which is pivoted to the standards H H, or to any other available fixed part of the machine, and against the under side of each arm bears the upper end of a screw, 1), adapted to a threaded opening in the base A, so that by manipulating these screws the lower roller may be adjusted accnratelyagainst the upper roller, and may be caused to bear against the same with more or less force. The arms E E being slightly elastic, the pressure of the lower against the upper roller will be of a yielding character.

There are two plaiting-blades, G G, inclined in respect to each other as shown in Fig. 6, both blades being directed toward the two rollers where the latter are in contact with each other. The upper plaiting-blade, G, is hung loosely at d d to the cranked portion of the shaft F, Fig. 7, one journal, f, of which has its bearing on the standard H of the base A, the other journal, f, having its bearing in the standard H, and to the latter journal is secured a bell-crank lever, I, one arm of which is connected by a spring, h, to the base A, Fig. 4, the other arm carrying a pivoted pawl, J, the hooked end of which is adapted to the teeth of the ratchet-wheel K, which is secured to that portion of the large hollow journal of the upper roller which projects beyond the standard B. The outer end of the pawl is caused to bear upon the periphery of the ratchet-wheel by a spring, I, Fig. 4, one end of which is attached to the base and the other end to a small arm on the pawl. The spring h, above referred to, has a tendency to draw the plaiting-blade G away from the rollers.

A lever, L, Fig. 7, projects from the crankshaft F, and to this lever is pivoted a supplementary lever, M, at j, and a short arm, is, of the latter lever is connected by a rod, Z, to an arm, in, on the plaiting-blade G. The fabric to be plaited passes between the two plaitingblades and between the rollers, as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 6. When the crankshaft F is operated by vibrating the lever L the blade G will be reciprocated; but being loose on the crank-shaft, its outer edge will not be pressed on the'fabric so as to form the l latter into plaits. Hence the only duty performed when the lever L is thus vibrated will be the intermittent turning of the rollers in the direction of the arrow by the action of the pawl J on the ratchet-wheel K. It the crankshaft; be operated by manipulating the supplementary lever M, however, the blade G will have a plaiting effect on the fabric, for this lever cannot be moved in the direction of the arrow, Fig. 7, without raising the rod 6 and depressing the outer end of the blade G onto the fabric supported by the lower blade and the lower roller, and this fabric must necessarily be plaited.

The lower plaiting-blade, G, is hung loosely to the crank-shaft F, which has one journal,

a, in the standard 1? of the base A, and another journal, n, on a similar standard, 1, the shaft being provided with a lever, L, to which is pivoted a supplementary lever, M, a short arm, 7:, on the latter being connected by a rod, 1, to an arm, m, on the blade G.

A pawl, J, is pivoted to an arm, 1), onthc journal at of the crank-shaft F, and the hooked end of this pawl is adapted to the teeth oi the ratchet-wheel K on the projecting end of the journal of the upper roller, a spring, q, Fig. 5, one end of which is attached to the base A and the other end to a small arm on the pawl, tending to keep the latter in contact with the periphery of the said ratchet-wheel. A spring, t, Fig. 5, attached at one end to the frame of the machine and at the other end to the lever L, tends to move the latter in the direction opposite that of the arrows and to draw the lower plaiting-blade away from the rollers.

The two rollers are geared together by cogwheels N N, the former on the projecting end of one of the journals of the upper roller, or on the ratchet-wheel K, and the cog-wheel N, Fig. 5, being secured to the projecting portion of one of the journals of the lower roller, so that both rollers must be intermittently and simultaneously rotated in the direction of the arrows when either of the plaiting-blades is operated.

When the upper blade, G, is in operation the efi'ect will be to make the ordinary side plaits (shown in Fig. 9) on the fabric, and

when the lower plaiting-blade, G, is in operation the plaits will be as shown in Fig. 10. When the blades are operated alternately, first one blade and then the other, the result will be the boX-plaits shown in Fig. 11. When box-plaits of considerable width, as shown in Fig. 12, are required, the plait 1 is first formed by the upper blade, after which the fabric is fed to the desired extent without plaiting by simply manipulating either of the main levers, L or L. Then the second plait is formed by t manipulating the supplementary leverM, and

thereby operating the lower blade, and after this the upper blade is operated by manipulating the supplementary lever L to form the third plait, and so on.

Plain plaits may alternate with box-plaits in the same piece of fabric, or there may be unplaited spaces between sets of side or box plaits, as the operator may desire, the intermittent drawing of the fabric being continued as the blades operate, whether they form plaits or not.

The depth of the side plaits formed by the machine will depend upon the extent to which the blades are retracted from the roller.

In Figs. 1 and 4 there is shown a detachable pin, to, which can be placed in any one of three or more holes in the standard H, the bell-crank lever I on the shaft F striking against this pin when the blade G has been retracted to the desired extent, and there is a similar removable pin, 10, Fig. 5, in the standard P for the arm p of the shaft F to strike against, and thus limit the retraction of the plaiting-blade G. There are also suitable stops for restricting the forward movement of both plaiting-blades.

I claim as my invention 1. The combination, in a plaiting-machine, of two feed-rollers, D D, two plaiting-blades, G G, and two levers, one for operating each blade independently of the other, in combination with mechanism whereby the feed-rollers shall be actuated by either lever when vibrated, all substantially as set forth.

2. The combination, in a plaiting-machine, of a pair of feed-rolls, a plaiting-blade free to reciprocate in respect thereto, a hand-lever connected to said blade so as to reciprocate the same without pressing it upon the fabric, a sup ilementary hand-lever connected to the blade, so as to reciprocate it and cause it to press upon the fabric, and means whereby the movement of either lever is caused to operate the feed-rolls, all substantially as set forth.

3. The combination of a pair of feed-rolls, a plait-ingblade hung to a crank-shaft free to vibrate, a hand-lever connected to said crankshaft and serving to vibrate the same, and a supplementary lever hung to the main lever, and having an arm connected to an arm on the plaiting-blade, all substantially as specified.

4. The combination of the upper roller, D, havingjournals adapted to hearings in plates at a, secured to the standards B B of the base of the machine, with the lower roller, D, the elastic arms E E, pivoted to the frame of the machine, and the adjusting-screws b b, all substantially as set forth.

5. The combination of the feed'roller Dand its two ratchetwvheels K K, and the lower roller, D, geared to the upper roller, with the two crank-shafts F F, one carrying a pawl adapted to one of the said ratchet-wheels and the other having a pawl adapted to the other ratchet-wheel, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

LEONARD B. BERRIEN.

Witnesses:

THOMAS MoKuE, CHARLES M. BABGOGK. 

